No improvement

Since my last post, things have not improved. My ability to walk is still subject to the whims of misfiring nerves, and limited to approximately 30 feet before pain wins and I am forced to stop. Balance is also affected and there is still no sensation in my legs.

The strange thing about MS is that relapses or flare-ups happen quite suddenly, even when you recognize the triggers, and can disappear equally speedily. The damage to nerves is, as yet, not reversible and thus will always leave some residual aftereffects during the post-relapse or post-flareup recovery phase. However, no nerves act in isolation, they are merely the pathways for impulses to travel between points on and in your body. The troubles that most MS sufferers experience after relapses or flareups are usually due to these nerves not functioning as they should, however, on some occasions this damage is not confined to the nerves alone. For example, one of my relapses has left me with a vision impairment in my right eye. Another relapse has caused the left side of my chest to lose muscle tone and hence my left pectoral muscle is slightly lower than my right pectoral muscle.

So each relapse has to be taken serious and as an MS sufferer you need to become a lot more aware of your body. Small changes in your body's abilities will affect many things from lifestyle to daily routine work. Thus, your golf game will suffer but so too will your ability to do your job. The main thing to do is not to give in to the MS. You may have MS, but if you give in to MS ... then it has you! Once MS has you, you have taken the first step down an ugly road. It's a beast, so fight it. Try for as long as possible to do things for yourself by yourself! The added benefit is that this also makes you feel better mentally.

For this reason, in my present condition, I am refusing assistance from everyone and attempting to rest. Rest is very underrated, but it really does help in getting over tough relapses. Please do not refuse assistance if the relapse is so bad that you are endangering your own life or the lives of others. That would be foolish and counterproductive.

Give MS a good fight.